Shadows at Midnight
by a walking contradiction
Summary: AU. YAOI. Fast cars, wealth, prestige... Duo Maxwell has EVERYTHING, including a dark secret. Enter Heero Yuy, the quiet and gorgeous as hell richboy who accidentally discovered Duo's secret.
1. Unveiled Secret

**A/N**: _This is the direct result of having read too much Sidney Sheldon books, being addicted to Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing, and watching Formula One at the same time. The story contains YAOI or homosexual relationships. Don't like YAOI? SCRAM. It is my first attempt in writing a LONG story, so pardon my mistakes. Any kind of comment will be most welcomed._

_This chappie is for my friend Koushu, my Formula One guru. She stayed up late at night just to tell me about Formula One. And also to Katie, hope you'd enjoy __UK__, and good luck on this journey. Keep in touch!_

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**Disclaimer**: _Don't own Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing. Didn't create the characters. Same goes to the cars, the paintings, and the other valuable things that will be mentioned. Although I want a black-and-gold Ferrari, a silver Porsche, a black Jaguar or a Bentley Azure. drools_

**Ratings**: _Er__… PG-13 for now? I'll probably rate it an R in later chapters, or maybe in the next chapter… _

**Pairings**:_1x2__ (main), 3x4 (eventual), 1xR (just in this chapter, don't worry!). Other pairs will emerge as the story goes on; I'm still thinking about it. _

**Warnings**: _Alternate Universe. YAOI. Bastardized Odin Lowe._

**Feed backs**: _It will hasten the chapters if my ego will be satisfied by your reviews… Jodan! But it will please me to hear from you!_

_Enjoy…_

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**SHADOWS AT ****MIDNIGHT**

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**Chapter One**

_Monte Carlo__, __Monaco_

The Monte Carlo circuit on the vicinity of Monaco's capital city was crammed with twenty five thousand spectators who had come to watch the championship classic. It was an 80-lap race over the three-mile course. The race had been running for more than three hours, under the harsh glare of the sun, and out of the starting twenty cars only a handful remained. The crowd was seeing history being made. There had never been such a race before. All the famous names around the world were on the track this day: Jack Kramer from Great Britain and Christian Brent in an Alfa Romeo, and the award-winning Rafe Carlton in a BMW. Also present was the youngest driver in all racing history, and people eagerly watched on to see how the young man was faring.

The track looked like a rainbow gone crazy, filled with the multitude colors of the BMW's and Ferraris and Renaults. But as lap after grueling lap went by, the giants began to fall. Kramer was in fourth place when his throttles jammed open. He sideswiped a blue-and-white Ferrari before he brought his own car under control by cutting the ignition, but both cars were finished. Rafe Carlton was in first place, with Christian Brent behind him. On a far turn, the BMW's gearbox disintegrated and the car started spinning, and Brent's car was caught in the vortex.

The crowd was in a frenzy.

Three cars were outpacing the rest of the group. The Dutch Seth Nissen, driving a Renault; Jacques Grangier from France in a Cooper; and a black-and-gold Ferrari by, to the unbelieving surprise of the crowd, youngest driver in the field. They were driving brilliantly, daring every straight and curved tracks.

Nissen was in the lead, with Grangier close behind him. And behind the two cars was the Ferrari.

The black-and-gold car had gone almost unnoticed until the last five minutes, when it had started gaining on the field. It had reached tenth position, then sixth, then fourth, and was still coming on strong. The breathless crowd was watching it now as the young driver started moving up on number two, driven by Grangier. The three cars were traveling at speeds in excess of 150 miles an hour, which was dangerous enough on the circuit. A referee stood and held up a sign: FIVE LAPS.

The Ferrari attempted to pass Grangier's Cooper on the outside, and Grangier inched over to block the other car's way. They were lapping a Brazilian car on the inside track, moving up on it fast. Now it was opposite Grangier's car. The Ferrari dropped back and edged over so that it was positioned in the tight spot behind the Brazilian and French cars. With a quick burst of acceleration the young driver rushed through the narrow space, forcing the two cars out of the way and shooting ahead into the number two spot. The crowd went wild; it had been an excellent and dangerous maneuver.

Still, it was Nissen in the lead, followed by the young driver and then Grangier in the third place, with three laps remaining. Nissen had seen the move. _The kid is good_, Nissen thought, _but not good enough to beat me_. Ahead, he saw the sign TWO LAPS. The race was almost over, and it was his. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the Ferrari trying to pull up alongside him. He got a glimpsed of the other driver's helmeted face: sweat-streaked cheeks, tight lips, and determined eyes. He didn't like what he was about to do, but he had no choice. Racing was a game for men, not _children_.

The two cars were approaching the north end of the oval, where there was a small sharp turn, the most risky in the track. Nissen glanced at the boy once more and then gripped his wheel tightly. As the two cars started to approach the curve, Nissen just barely lifted his foot from the accelerator, so that the Ferrari began to pull ahead. He saw the boy shot him a quick, speculative look, then the driver was abreast of him, falling for his trap. The crowd was screaming. Nissen waited until the black-and-gold car was fully committed to pass him on the outside. At that moment Nissen opened his throttles wide and started to move toward the right, cutting off the young driver's path to the straightway, so the only choice was to head off course.

Nissen saw the sudden frown on the boy's face and said silently, _Sorry_ _kid_. But at that instant the 'kid' turned the car directly into Nissen's Renault. Nissen couldn't believe it. The Ferrari was on a crash course with him; they were only three feet apart and at that speed Nissen had to make a spilt-second decision. _The boy has gone crazy!_ In a swift, reflex motion, Nissen swung the wheel sharply to the left, trying to avoid the thousand pounds metal hurtling at him, so that the Ferrari missed him by a fraction of an inch, and shot past him toward the finish line. The Renault kept spinning until it stopped in the middle of the road, the tires and engine smoking from overuse.

But the crowd's attention was riveted on the Ferrari that was roaring across the finish line to victory. There were frenzied screams from the spectators as they ran toward the car, surrounding it, cheering. A young blond teen detached himself from the crowd and stood next to the car as the driver slowly stood up and took off his black helmet.

Long, chestnut braided hair cascaded down his back. An elfin nose, red lips, flushed cheeks, flashing violet eyes and a feral grin adorned his handsome face. There was a classic beauty about him that lured at the crowd. His lean body was shaking, not with exhaustion, but with excitement at beating the 'giants'. Over the loudspeaker the announcer was ecstatically yelling, "The winner is Duo Maxwell, from America, driving a Ferrari!"

Duo Maxwell's grin widened, if that was even possible, at the announcement, looking at his blond best friend who was standing beside him. "Heh, how was I? Told you I could beat them!" Duo exclaimed, crossing his arms on his chest and giving the other teen a superior smirk.

Quatre Raberba Winner patted him on his shoulder, his mouth quirked in a huge smile. "You know you were great, Duo."

"Nope, I AM great!"

While the crowd cheered again for the American, several older racers seethed. Coming out from his car, Seth Nissen raised his closed fist at the seventeen-year-old teen. "_Alstublieft_! How can a mere kid like you beat me?"

Duo heard the shouted question and wiggled his index finger at the irate man. "Talent, Mr. Nissen. Sheer talent."

"Talent, my ass." Grangier retorted, glaring daggers at the braided boy. He had also left his car, leaving it to his team of mechanics to repair the minor damages from the race.

As the two drivers went back to their respective teams, Duo shrugged and smiled impishly. Sore losers, he thought, pulling Quatre aside away from the still cheering people. When they were safe from prying ears of the crowd, he turned to his friend eagerly. "So, how much did we win?"

Quatre nodded, looking very much pleased. "It seemed the people didn't trust your ability to win, Duo, which was their loss and our gain. Thousands-to-one odds, against your favor. You're $50,000 richer, Duo. I'll deposit it on your account later."

"Thank you! You're the greatest when it comes to cons, Kitty-Cat!"

Quatre blushed despite himself and sniggered at the nickname. "Oh, and by the way, I got a message from Uncle Treize during the race. He has another 'mission' for Shinigami," he informed the young racer, his tone lowering to a whisper.

At the word 'mission', Duo perked up, a strange gleam lightening Duo's violet eyes. "Really…?"

"It's a painting in San Francisco…"

_San Francisco__, __California_

_Four days later_

An attractive blond girl lifted up on an elbow and pulled a sheet to her breast. Frowning slightly, she studied the dark-haired young man who was standing at window of his room, his shoulder propped up against the window frame, looking out across the back lawns, where a party in honor of his father's birthday was in progress. "Heero, what are you doing?" Relena Peacecraft asked as she wrapped the sheet around herself and walked over to the window.

Heero Yuy seemed not to hear her as he looked out across the grounds of the palatial estate that would, upon the death of his father, become his. As he gazed at the hedge maze below, he saw his father emerge from the shrubbery. Casting a brief, furtive glance about him, he straightened his tie and ran his hand to his light brown hair. A moment later a voluptuous, raven-haired woman emerged, rearranging her long gown in some semblance of order. Their laughter drifted up through Heero's open window as they linked arms.

He grunted, mild cynicism marring the youthful beauty of his lean features as Heero watched his father and his newest conquest cross the lawns and saunter into the arbor. Behind him, Relena inclined her head to on side, not knowing if the grunt was meant to answer her question or not. "Heero?" she asked again.

Heero turned to look at her now with one brow raised, as if to say, 'Isn't it obvious?' At the look of surprise on her pretty face, Heero rolled his eyes and turned to the window once more. "Apparently, my father has acquired a new lover," Heero drawled bitingly.

Relena's blue eyes widened. "Really?" she asked, peering out the window. "Who?"

Heero shrugged, crossing his arms at his chest. "Just some random slut, if my guess is right. Nobody important." But knowing his father, he wouldn't choose a woman of low class. Turning fully toward her, Heero studied her seemingly innocent face, searching for some sign of surprise. When he saw none, his own features smoothed into a blank mask. "See yourself in her, Relena?"

Her mouth formed a perfect O, her blue eyes wide to compliment the shock on her face. "H-Heero? What do you mean?" She felt uneasy under those cool dark blue eyes, as if those bottomless twin orbs could see her soul. "Are you pertaining… that I am a sl—"

"Well, are you?"

"Of course not!" Came the indignant reply.

Heero snorted. "Only a slut would take advantage of my drunken state earlier," he retorted, smirking at the embarrassed and guilty expression on her face. Although his brows raised when she put her hands to his chest and smiled enticingly at him.

"Heero, why don't we forget this and return to the bed? Then we can continue…" she let the rest of the sentence hang in the air, her meaning as obvious as the moon in the velvet night.

At the luring note in her voice, humor softened his features and his firm, sensual lips quirked in a derisive smile. "Poor little Relena," he said dryly, reaching out and brushing his knuckles against her cheek. "You're so miserable, huh? From the day you're born, anything you want is yours for the asking, and now you're after me with an instinct of a bitch in heat just because of the prestige and wealth you'll gain by marrying me. No wonder you're so amoral and frivolous," he finished mockingly. "_Kawaisou__ ne_…"

Relena hesitated, struck by his words, not certain whether he was ridiculing her, then she frowned. "Heero, why are you acting like this? Is it because of what you saw about your father?" she asked worriedly as she searched his inscrutable features.

"Hardly," he replied. "I've known about my father's affairs since I was eight years old. My mother had known even longer than that. I doubt I could be shocked by what he does." He looked at her curiously. "Are you shocked?"

Relena bit her lower lip, unable to look at Heero's hard gaze. "Quite."

He smirked. "Don't be. You're doing exactly the same thing."

"But I'm not married!" she exclaimed.

Heero shrugged again, saying without words that they were still the same for him. Although he was only eighteen, Heero Yuy's potent attraction for women and girls was already a topic of much scintillating feminine gossip inside and out of school, and as Relena gazed into those beautiful cobalt eyes, she suddenly felt herself drawn to him as if by some overwhelming magnetic force. His stoic nature had the girls view him as a challenge, and his eyes spelled danger and a hard knowledge far beyond his years. It was all these things, even more than his dark good looks and blatant virility, that impelled girls toward him. And then there was the fact the he was the heir to the big fortune of the business tycoon Odin Lowe.

"Are you coming to bed, Heero?"

"No," he said mildly.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not bored enough to want to sleep with you." He looked at her beneath his thick lashes. "Get dressed and leave me. I'm sure you'll still be able to find something interesting downstairs."

Relena studied his broad, muscular shoulders, deep chest, and narrow waist, then her gaze lifted to his handsome face. In a black shirt and tight-fitting jeans, every inch of Heero Yuy's tall frame positively radiated raw power and leashed sensuality. She pouted petulantly. "I doubt that." But one look at his threatening glare changed her mind instantly.

While she dressed, Heero turned back to the windows and gazed impassively at the elegant guests who gathered on the lawns of his father's estate. To an outsider on that day, the estate would doubtlessly looked like a fascinating wonderland populated by beautiful, carefree, tropical birds parading in all their gorgeous finery. To him, the scene held no beauty at all; he knew too well what went on within the walls of this house when the guests were gone.

Heero shook his head, wanting to dispel the building headache that threatened to swallow him whole. Casting a last glance at the scene, he left the window and went out of the room, gathering his jacket and the keys to his car from a side table, and escaping his father and the disgusting legacy he would one day inherit.

Miles away from the Lowe estate, atop one of the tall buildings in the area, a young man with long chestnut hair dressed in black overalls stared at the targeted building in front of him through high-powered binoculars, his vivid violet eyes flashing with restrained excitement. Shinigami's target this time was a painting by Gainsborough. It was owned by one James Morgan, the owner of an exclusive art gallery who, to quote Quatre, 'enjoys ripping off his customers'. The Gainsborough was to be the highlight of his gallery, which was why it was hidden in the safe on the tenth floor of the building. He was already given all the schematics; the design of the targeted floor of the building, the shifts of the guards, and the security system installed currently.

All he had to do now was to steal it.

_Shinigami__ is out to hunt again._

He grinned, feeling that familiar rush of adrenaline starting to course through his body. An indescribable thrill filled his senses at the thought of another difficult 'mission' to overcome once again. He waited for the right time to start, his patience infinite as always. A moment later, a series of beeps went off from his black wristwatch. The glowing numbers told him the time.

3 A.M.

_Showtime_.

Heero stepped forcefully on the gas pedal of his silver Porsche after seeing the green light, his head spinning from the aftereffects of the bottle of brandy he drank in the party. He cursed himself silently, wanting to just go to his apartment and lie down on his bed. It was his father's fault in the first place. Odin Lowe ordered Heero to attend his party, despite the fact the he knew Heero detested social gatherings. The older Lowe had told Heero that he wanted his son to be there when he announce his intent on showing the Lowe collection of family heirlooms, and show parental support on his father's upcoming exhibition. Which was the reason why Heero got himself drunk in the first place. It was just like his father to flaunt his money flagrantly. Heero wouldn't have minded if his father chose to exhibit his prized possessions, but when his father told him that he was also going to show his mother's belongings, Heero had wanted to kill his own father for it.

Instead, he settled to getting himself drunk.

He cursed himself again for being a fool and not inviting Trowa to the party; at least then he would have a friend with him. But instead, he got Relena Peacecraft fawning all over him all night… which led to the inevitable happening in his room.

"_Kuso_…" Heero whispered softly, lifting his fingers to massage his throbbing temples. He was so drunk that he didn't even know what had happened inside the room. Everything was vague, and all he remembered was when he woke up, he saw a naked Relena sleeping peacefully beside him. He remembered being angry, wanting to hurl her out of the room. Then he had thought to escape her before she could wake up, but his eyes were immediately drawn to his father and his latest mistress making out in the maze. It had been the last blow combined with liquor, Relena's advances and his father's insensitivity for his mother that compelled Heero to prattle the way he did inside the room, taunting Relena and telling her things that he hadn't told anyone except his friend Trowa.

He turned to the left, driving the car pretty much smoothly since it was late and traffic had died down already. With his thoughts still on his father, Heero didn't notice a slender, black-clad figure crossed the street with cat-like grace from a high-rise building to his right. Only when his headlights emphasized the figure that had Heero stepping hard on the brake.

The figure stood frozen in front of Heero's car, its brilliant violet eyes gleaming with surprise despite the darkness of the night. Long, chestnut brown hair flowed down its back like a waterfall, swaying to the rhythm of the slight breeze. Heero stared quietly, fascinated by the ethereal creature that, he noticed, was holding in its arm a quite large rectangular object wrapped in white paper.

_Painting_, supplied his mind.

Heero was about to speak when a loud shrill of alarm sounded from a building to his right and frantic shouts were heard from security.

"IT'S SHINIGAMI! GET HIM!"

The elfin creature blinked, then its mouth quirked into a grin and it brought its index finger to its lips, telling Heero to be quiet. At Heero's somewhat dazed nod, it ran into a dimly lighted alley and disappeared from the blue eyed boy's view.

Heero sat back on the driver's seat, his heart beating loudly against his chest. After a few moments, he started his car again and proceeded to his apartment. His head continued to pound with increasing force, but thoughts of a violet-eyed creature persisted to remain in his mind.

_Shinigami_…

Duo rubbed his eyes wearily as he opened the door to his hotel room and let himself in. He locked the door and dropped himself on an oversized chair after unwrapping the Gainsborough and propping it to the chair in front of his. Duo stared at the painting; a portrait of a boy wearing a white dress and holding a bunch of flowers in his left hand. The boy didn't even look like a boy… if Quatre hadn't told him what the painting's title was, he would've thought that the child was a little girl.

Looking intently at the boy/girl, he noticed that the kid in the portrait had blue eyes… eyes that reminded him of the person in the silver Porsche. For a professional thief like Shinigami, Duo knew his way around cars, and the silver Porsche 911 was one hot car that could've cost quite a penny to its driver. It was not in the same league as his Bentley Azure and black-and-gold Ferrari, but it was still a 'must have'. It was the car first drew him, but when he saw the driver…

Duo groaned, smacking his head hard. He didn't know what came over him, freezing like a cornered rabbit like he did in front of the blue-eyed boy. But he was instantly mesmerized by those blue orbs, and was struck hard by how stunning the driver was.

He also felt stripped, his mask as Shinigami the cat burglar falling away when he realized that someone had actually seen him. Him, the infamous thief who was wanted by Interpol, CIA, FBI and other agencies from around the world.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" he murmured again and again, standing up and catching his flowing hair in his one hand and taking an elastic band from a table with the other. It had been a habit for him to let his hair out of its braid when he had to steal something. It was a good disguise after all; and it had always led security to think that he was a girl. While expertly braiding his hair, Duo paced the carpeted floor in frustration. He wracked his brain for a way to silence the blue-eyed teen. Killing him was out of the question. It had been Duo's policy not to hurt people during a 'mission', and he wouldn't want to start now.

The least he could do was to find out what the boy knew about him.

Satisfied with his decision, he sat down, took out his cell phone and dialed Quatre's number. Two rings later, he was connected to his best friend in Europe.

"Duo! Did you get it?" asked the blond boy on the other line.

Duo grinned. "Got it, Q! When can I give it to you?"

Quatre laughed softly. "No, you don't have to come here in England. Uncle Treize and I will go there in California tomorrow."

Duo yelped in surprise. "What? You will? But why? Don't you have school? And your family! What would your father say? What would Iria say?"

"Oh, Duo, you don't have to worry. Uncle Treize has another mission for you and it so happens that the target is also in San Francisco, so we thought of going there, first to get the painting, then to brief you about the plan."

"Geez, another mission? You're spoiling me rotten, Quat. What's the target?"

"We knew you'd like it. It's a diamond called Black Royal, one of the very few remaining black diamonds, and the largest in the world. We'll tell you more about it when we get there. All that I can tell you is that it's currently in the possession of the business tycoon Odin Lowe, who specializes in buying small companies below its net worth, then selling them for more than its worth. Are you interested?" Quatre asked, although he knew his thrill-seeking friend would accept it immediately.

Thousands of miles away from the blond, Duo's eyes sparkled, the familiar tingling of excitement coursing through his body once again. "Hell, yeah! I'll take a look into Odin Lowe's background as soon as I can."

Quatre laughed again. "Okay, okay, I know a dismissal when I hear one," he cheerfully said. "See you, Duo!"

Duo placed the phone back on its cradle when the call was terminated. He went to the desk and sat in front of his laptop, opening the computer and beginning his search.

A few hours later, sunlight peeked through the closed curtains of the luxurious room. Duo yawned loudly as he leaned back on the black leather chair, but his tired eyes were twinkling despite his lack of sleep. He was staring at the screen of his laptop, which was showing an enlarged picture of a good-looking half-Japanese boy with blue eyes and dark hair, standing with a tall man with light brown hair beside him. Behind them was a huge, palatial house with manicured lawns. It was a picture taken by a photographer from a magazine that featured Odin Lowe once.

_Odin Lowe and his son, Heero._

_Heero__ Yuy._

Duo's lips stretched into his signature grin, a plan slowly forming in his head.

**Tbc****...**

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**A/N: **_The__ Black Royal is a figment of my imagination. There is no such diamond in the world; at least I think there isn't._

_The Gainsborough painting was "Master John Heathcote". I saw it in an encyclopedia. Since the picture I saw was in black-and-white, I had no idea if the little boy's eyes were blue, or what its dimensions were. I just assumed that it could be carried in one arm. Actually, at first I, too, thought that the boy was a girl in that painting._

_My love for cars is so obvious. However, I only have limited knowledge about Car Racing, and racing circuits. The names of the drivers are fictional. _

_Hey, frankly speaking… do I need a beta reader? Anyone interested there?_

_Sorry for the brief OOC-ness of Heero and the 1xR. I have nothing against Relena, but there are times when I REALLY don't like her._

_Well, that's all. Expect chapter two next week or the week after that… if my schedule will allow me._

_Reviews are great motivations for a writer to update. Motivate me!_

**Review! Review!**


	2. Warning

_**A/N**__: Disclaimers, warnings… go to chapter one. _

_Added warning, slight Relena bashing. __I had to think this chapter over and over again in my head. Gomen for being late, but I did tell you that I would be posting the next chapter in a week or two._

_The rating stays as __**PG-13**__._

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**SHADOWS AT MIDNIGHT **

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**Chapter Two **

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_San Francisco, California _

A nondescript young man dressed in a dark blue shirt and jeans crossed the street towards a tall, plush apartment building in front of him. He was tall and slender, and he wore a black baseball cap on his head that somewhat hid his handsome features. He walked insouciantly past the guards to the sliding glass doors of the building and went inside, waving cheerfully at the blond receptionist. The receptionist, Chandra Porter, rose immediately and shot him a welcoming smile that always reminded him of a lazy cat—seductive and ruthless at the same time.

"Hello, Duo," she purred, batting her eyelashes at him. Duo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but his smile didn't waver at all. The woman had set her sights on him since he moved in the opulent apartment building three days ago. Duo thought it was amusing how she flirted with him on his first day, despite the fact that he was young enough to be her son.

"Hey, Chandra," he greeted, grinning at the blond receptionist.

The blonde's smile widened, her blue eyes twinkling. "Oh, Duo, you're such a cutie!" she tittered.

He flashed his 'I know' smile at her and continued to the closed elevator nearest him. The elevator was coming down steadily after pausing for a minute in the fourth floor. When it stopped at the lobby, he waited for the sliding door to open, only to lower his head discreetly when he saw who was coming out.

"Good morning, Mr. Yuy." Duo heard Chandra's sexy voice lowered an octave when the half-Japanese teen walked pass Duo toward the glass doors without sparing a glance at him. Duo looked sideways through narrowed eyes at the other boy, who was glaring darkly at the receptionist. When the other boy was gone, he heard Chandra sigh dreamily.

_Poor woman,_ Duo thought.

Inside the elevator, Duo wondered if Heero Yuy saw him. _Probably not,_ he reasoned out. He knew he had lowered his head before the other boy could see his face. As Duo pushed the number four button, an idea suddenly came into his head that had him grinning impishly when the elevator opened at the fourth floor. Duo got out and instead of going to his own apartment; he headed towards the door that he had been eyeing for the past three days.

Room 4013.

He quickly removed his cap, and delved three of his fingers in his hair. When he withdrew his fingers, he was holding a short metallic wire in his hand. Duo put the metal wire in the keyhole. After a few seconds an audible _click_ sounded, and Duo slowly opened the mahogany door.

The apartment was **_neat_**. So damned neat that it made Duo involuntarily shudder. His gaze took in the tidy living room of the apartment, noting the gleaming black marble floor and black leather couches adjacent to a huge hearth on the left side of the room. To the right side were the kitchen and a dining room, and in front of Duo was a floor-to-ceiling bay window that led to a balcony, one that had the view of the city. Duo let himself inside the lavish apartment, his eyes still sweeping around the room. Near the hearth, he saw another mahogany door. _The bedroom, _he thought. He turned the knob and when he found that it wasn't locked, Duo shrugged and went inside.

Like the rest of the apartment, the bedroom was clean and uncluttered. The four-poster bed was in the center of the room, and parallel to the bed was another bay window. On one side was a walk-in closet and on the other side was a big solid oak desk with a silver laptop on top.

It was the laptop that got his attention.

Duo grinned went to work.

XxXxX XxXxX

One of the most prestigious in the United States of America, Hannover School was a school for overachievers: people with talent, intelligence, prestige, money and ambition. Children of politicians, businessmen, CEO's, actors, writers, aristocrats and powerful families had gathered in this school for its acclaimed quality education. It was a school that admitted only the rich and famous. Besides its excellent standard of education, one look into its lush, extensive grounds would be enough to tell you why.

Set on thousands of acres of green parkland, Hannover School encompassed magnificent Renaissance buildings and surrounding grounds. With its unique location, set amidst San Francisco, it was screened from traffic and the bustling city life but still retained a feeling of tranquility—an impression of being excluded from all the noise and crowd. With the gleaming waters of the Pacific Ocean on its backdrop, it created the perfect setting for the lavish buildings of the school.

The main building, a grand, three-story structure with immense expanses of mullioned windows and graceful balconies called Hannover Hall, harbored the executive and administrative offices, the faculties' offices, and assembly rooms. While scattered around the large area of the school, blocks away from each other, were the classroom buildings, a whole library building, cafés, restaurants, a dining hall, an auditorium, a huge bookstore, a building for sports (all for indoors. The other fields, courts, ranges and pools were outside), and vast parking lots.

It was like being in a dream world.

One that Duo Maxwell would just **_love_** to mess with.

Currently, the violet-eyed teen was leaning on the opened door of a black stretch limousine. From his vantage point on a small hill a kilometer away from the enormous gate of the school, he watched the students arriving in their cars and chauffeured limos. His infrared binoculars gave him a close up view of everyone, and he caught himself mentally calculating the dollar worth of some of the valuable things with some of the students.

The staggering amount he arrived at was very tempting, but he silently reminded himself of the reason why he was entering Hannover School in the first place.

_The Black Royal Diamond._

Duo lowered the binoculars and sighed. Quatre's uncle and Duo's guardian, Lord Treize Khushrenada, had arrived and told Duo a fortnight ago about his plan to obtain the priceless diamond.

_Duo, the only way to get the schematics of the house is to get close to a member of the family. I did a background check on Odin Lowe and found out that he has a son. I have his apartment's address and his school, which I plan to enroll you into. His name is Heero Yuy. _Treize had then looked at Quatre beside him, who was smiling softly at them. __

_Quatre,_ he had said,_ you are going to assist Duo in this one. He needs all the help he can get, and he mustn't fail. _Duo remembered leaping from his seat when he heard that, and arguing that Quatre shouldn't dismiss his studies in England. Quatre had chuckled and said he didn't mind, since he had always wanted to help Duo in his missions from the very start. In front of his guardian and his best friend, Duo didn't stand a chance to argue anymore and just told Treize to continue with his plan.

_Actually, I have already enrolled you and Quatre in __Hannover__, and I want you, Duo, to get all of Heero Yuy's subjects, get close, and befriend him. If my sources are accurate, you will have a hard time doing so because Heero is rumored to be a very unapproachable person. He had a very rough childhood. Besides having a philanderer and disciplinarian for a father, it is said that his mother is locked up in a mental asylum, despite the public notion that she is dead. _

Duo cringed at that, even though he already knew that fact from his own background check on Odin Lowe. For a moment, he had felt a spurt of shame when he thought of the plan that he had to do to just to steal a diamond. Even if it was one of the most expensive diamonds in the world.

_The client has told me that time isn't essential. So I advise you to take your time in this long-term mission. Do anything you can to ensure its completion._ Treize had smiled at Duo at that, and of course, Duo grinned back. _After you befriend him, _Treize had continued,_ you could then easily get the schematics of the house and its security system._

Despite his influence, Treize was unable to get the schematics of Odin Lowe's San Francisco mansion. The tall aristocrat wasn't close enough to the international tycoon, and the security system was a well-kept secret of Odin Lowe. Duo had almost volunteered to get it already—to hell with the schematics—but he suppressed the urge to do so, because of the other plan that he had in store for a certain blue-eyed boy.

_Heero Yuy._

Treize had said that Heero didn't adopt his father's surname because he hated his father very much for unknown reasons, so he took up his mother's surname, Yuy.

_You are also going to live near Heero. I've taken the liberty to buy two units in Heero's apartment building; all you and Quatre have to do is to move in. _

_That's your mission, Shinigami._

Duo sighed again, pouting. _Long term missions are soooo boring,_ he thought, annoyed as hell. He would rather prefer the thrill in his other missions, but now he had to wear a stupid uniform and go to a stupid, bourgeois school and interact with stupid, simpering rich girls and arrogant, inane rich boys. **_Life is so unfair!_**

"Duo? Are you okay?"

Duo blinked, turning to the opened door of the limousine where Quatre was sitting, looking at him with a rather amused half smile.

"What?" Duo asked, frowning darkly at his blond friend.

Quatre shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing. You just had this funny expression on your face, like you're being tortured or something. Afraid you'll be bored to death?"

Sometimes Quatre's perception was just too frightening. _Damn, _he thought, _he knows me too well. _Duo made a face and went inside the black limo, lounging comfortably at the leather seats. He ignored his friend and closed the door impatiently. That signaled the driver to start driving again, and as the luxury car moved, Duo averted his face from his friend's questioning eyes.

"Is that a 'yes'?" the blonde persisted, his aquamarine blue eyes twinkling at his uncomfortable friend. "Why then? Just moments ago, you were so excited about going to school."

Duo shot him a glare that lasted for a measly ten seconds, then he capitulated. "You know, Q, you can be very annoying sometimes," he grumbled.

Quatre smiled innocently. "Talent, Duo. Sheer talent," he said, echoing Duo's words in Monaco. Then he gazed turned serious. "Well, what's the problem?"

With yet another sigh, Duo whined to Quatre his qualms about the school, the students, missing the thrill, and about the night he saw Heero Yuy. He was gesturing madly at his friend, but of course, he didn't include the reason why he suddenly stopped in front of Heero's car. To tell his friend that Heero Yuy's dark blue eyes mesmerized him would earn him a year of non-stop torment. When Duo finished with his tale, they were entering the enormous gate of Hannover School. Quatre leaned back on his seat and stared at Duo intently, his eyes calculating but concerned at the same time. "What are you going to do about that?" he asked quietly.

Duo shrugged indifferently. "Continue with the plan. And…" He was grinning naughtily now.

"And?" Quatre asked, curious and a tad bit worried now at the feral grin of his friend. Whenever his friend smiled like this, it would usually mean trouble.

"Oh, you'll see, Q. You'll see."

XxXxX XxXxX

After emerging from the stretch limo, the two were quickly ushered inside Hannover Hall where the headmistress, Lady Une, was waiting for them. Along the way in the school grounds, some people (mostly girls) recognized Duo as the car racing champion and Quatre as the heir to his father's multi-million dollar company, Winner Enterprises.

Excited whispers and admiring glances were shot on their way, causing Duo to growl inwardly. It was not that he detested his fans; on the contrary, he loved them, because his fans admired him for his skill in driving cars. But giggling girls and gushing admirers were anything but that. He hated how people would ogle whenever they saw him.

Duo took a glance at his side, where he could see Quatre smiling softly at their adoring audience. He couldn't in his life know what possessed his friend to _endearingly_ smile at them. Their stupid sighs made Duo want to puke.

"How do you do it?" he asked later when they were walking toward Lady Une's office. "The only thing that was missing on their adoring faces was _drool_!"

Quatre chuckled at that. "Duo, think of this as a con. Let them think of a fake reality. That would give you the upper hand," he said lightly, a serene smile quirking on his face.

Duo grinned, feeling a prickle of admiration for his friend. One wouldn't want Quatre Raberba Winner as his enemy, because he could be deadly in his own way. With his light blond hair, large aquamarine eyes, effeminate ways and a generally nice demeanor, people tended to underestimate him at first glance. They didn't know that behind his boyish face lies one of the most brilliant minds Duo had ever known.

They continued to the office, where the elegant Lady Une was staring at the bustle of students outside from a huge window. She only turned when she heard a knock on the double doors of her office. "Come in," she said.

Duo opened the doors and he and Quatre stepped inside the sumptuous office. Quatre moved forward and clasped Lady Une's hand in a firm handshake as Duo closed the door.

"Mr. Winner," she said, then she turned to Duo, who also walked forward, "and Mr. Maxwell." She smiled and reached forward to shake his hand as well. "Please sit down." She gestured at the antique Louis XIII chairs while she sat on her own comfortable chair behind her huge desk. Duo and Quatre complied immediately and sat down. "Lord Treize has alerted me of your arrival. I know that Treize had already briefed you of the school and its rules and regulations. Have you selected your subjects? Lord Treize told me to assist you in any way I could."

"Thank you, Lady." Quatre said.

"We already chose our subjects yesterday," piped in Duo, shooting his charming smile at the headmistress.

Lady Une and Treize Khushrenada had been good friends way back in their childhood, so it came to no surprise to Duo that she wanted to help them, and that their transfer to the school had been very smooth. Especially for Quatre, who left Eton to study in Hannover.

Lady Une nodded. "Very well. Do you know where your classrooms are? I could have you escorted there."

"No, thank you, Lady," Quatre politely declined. "We know our way around the campus." Duo had sneaked into the school two days ago to 'assess' the battlefield, as Duo had so fondly said, so Quatre had no qualms that they would get lost.

"That's good, but humor me, alright? I'll have a student sent over to direct you to your classroom." At the boys' nods, she smiled. "Any questions? Anything else you want to know about Hannover School?"

Both teens shook their heads.

Lady Une nodded graciously. "Now then, you better go to your classes. Just refer to me whether you want to clarify something or when you need help." Duo and Quatre nodded as they stood up and went to the door.

"Thank you, Lady," they said in unison before the door closed quietly.

XxXxX XxXxX

"That sure was fast," Duo muttered to Quatre when he saw their 'escort', a tall, Chinese teen with slanted ebony eyes and black hair tied in a neat pony tail walked over to them in determined strides.

"Winner and Maxwell?" the boy asked briskly when he stopped in front of them. Quatre nodded, smiling in greeting. Duo just grinned and waved. "Hello, pal!"

The Chinese boy scowled for a moment. "My name is Wufei Chang, and you are to call me nothing but my name." He gestured the left while Duo frowned at him. "The Lady has already told me your building and room number. As luck has it, we're in the same class. The building's a ten-minute _run_ from here. Classes will start in thirty minutes. We shall be able to get there without being late if we hurry."

Duo stared unbelievingly at Wufei, his mouth hanging open, and then he remembered that each building were blocks away from one another. He smacked his hand on his head. "Damn! I should've taken the Bentley with me!" He groaned loudly.

Wufei nodded briskly. "You should've expected this, you know. It is wise to bring your own car in the campus." He smirked. "It will get you around the school faster."

"Yeah, well, thanks for the warning, even if it's a little late now, huh?" Duo murmured sarcastically, which earned him an elbow shove from Quatre and a glare from Wufei.

After twenty minutes of walking fast, Quatre and Duo found themselves inside their building, an elegant four-story white edifice in Georgian style. Wufei was leading them to their classroom while commenting every now and then about the building. The Chinese boy had been _stiff_ during their trek to the classroom, as if he was doing something he didn't want to. _He probably didn't want to_, Duo thought irritably. He'd only wanted to be friendly at the Chinese boy by calling him 'pal', but instead of a friendly feedback, he'd been berated and ridiculed. _Idiot_, he thought again. _Moron, fool, dimwit, numskull, imbecile, dope! _

But when Wufei turned to him, Duo smiled brightly.

Duo sighed imperceptibly when the Chinese teen merely grunted at his sunny grin and turned away again. _Stuck up jerk,_ he added. He knew—he just knew that he would be bored stupid in this school. He looked around, knowing that they were being stared upon… _again_. Simpering females, _again_.

He roamed his gaze around the opulent building, his face showing not a bit of awe. _Boring_. What was he doing here in the first place again?

_Heero Yuy._

Duo snapped his head, the sound of Heero's name on his mind uttered in that hard monotone of the half-Japanese teen startling him. He glanced around at the building, looking for that unmistakable mess of dark brown hair and Prussian blue eyes.

_None._

_What the hell?_

"Duo," Quatre hissed, "what are you doing?"

"Target," hissed Duo back, then continuing with his covert glances. "I'm looking out for him."

After climbing the wide, sweeping stairs that led to the second floor, they at last arrived at their classroom, with Duo not seeing the 'target'.

"Here's our classroom," Wufei informed them, opening the door and slipping inside. Both Quatre and Duo made no move to go in. Quatre because he was quite nervous, and Duo because his mind was occupied by something.

Or rather some_one._

"Duo?" Came Quatre's quiet words.

Duo nodded slowly, his mouth stretching into a wide grin.

"Here we go," he said, turning the knob of the door.

XxXxX XxXxX

Heero scowled darkly for the umpteenth time at Relena, who had literally attached herself to his side since his arrival at school. And judging from the teasing remarks and playful nudges his schoolmates had given him, Heero was pretty sure Relena wasn't quite as quiet as he wanted her to be about the night of his father's party.

The girl, of course, paid no heed to the dark gaze that promised her a gruesome death. She was busily prattling nonconsequentially about cheerleading, her friends, her vacations, her dresses… And she had been going on since he sat down on his seat half an hour ago.

Heero, of course, heard nothing at all.

"Shit…" Heero muttered, gritting his teeth angrily. He was seconds away from doing some bodily harm to her person, but he retained his impassive facade, the only sign of his inner turmoil was the wild sparks in his Prussian eyes.

Seated beside him on his other side, a tall boy with emerald green eyes and cinnamon-colored haired with long bangs falling to one side of his face smirked at Heero, seemingly enjoying his tortured state. Heero glared menacingly at his friend as Trowa answered him with a light shrug. "What?" Emerald eyes looked at him inquiringly.

"You seem to be enjoying this," Heero said, his head abruptly turning to Relena.

Trowa just smiled. "I am. Immensely."

Heero grunted. "Some friend you are."

A small, devious smile slipped on his lips. "It's your own fault, you know. If you hadn't slept with Relena, this would never have happened."

"That's all I did… SLEEP!" Heero hissed.

"So you say." At the dangerous scowl of his friend, Trowa Barton sighed. Heero Yuy was the most impassive person that Trowa had ever known, more so than he was. He had seen many people push themselves towards his friend, but Heero would push them back almost instantly without a flicker of emotion on his blank face, and not only in the literal sense. He was the master at distancing himself from people, putting a very obvious invisible sign to keep out. Trowa couldn't figure out why Heero was getting worked up over one girl. He never saw Heero paid Relena any attention in the past, so he had no idea why he was starting now.

And in the past weeks after his father's party, Heero had been acting… _weird_. He'd been spending more time than before in front of his computer, and he even visited his mother.

Heero rarely did that.

And today, he'd been snapping at the usual crowd around him, when usually he would just ignore them.

"Heero. What's wrong? You've been acting strange lately."

Something glinted in Heero's eyes, and he frowned. "Someone has been inside my apartment."

Trowa frowned as well. "Are you sure?"

A stiff nod. "Nothing has been moved, but I'm positive someone was there." Heero's harsh gaze pierced Trowa. "So, what do you think I should do with _that_?" He gestured behind him at Relena again.

Trowa blinked at the abrupt change of subject, but he shrugged again. "Tell her to stop." Though Trowa doubted Relena would comply.

Obviously, Heero thought she would because he turned to the girl. "Relena…"

The blond girl, who was still talking, stopped immediately and smiled at him. "Yes, Heero?"

"Stop talking and scram."

Relena looked stunned, then determination filled her face and she continued talking nonsense.

Actually, the girl had done the same thing to Heero, choosing not to hear him when he told her earlier that nothing happened. She insisted that _something_ had happened, and when he ignored her, she stuck herself to his side.

"I won't say it again, Relena. Do it or I _will _kill you." Hard, Prussian blue eyes glittered ominously.

"I suggest you do it, Ms. Peacecraft, if you value your life."

Wufei Chang walked up to Heero and Trowa, who both nodded to him, silently thanking him. He turned his austere black eyes on Relena, whose eyes widened at the threat, momentarily speechless. _Baka onna, _Wufei thought, rolling his eyes.

"Wufei," Trowa acknowledged. "Where've you been?"

Wufei looked decidedly irritated. "Touring new students," he answered. He was _very_ pissed off because he was assigned to tour the _newbies_, and he had to run from one building to another just to fetch them. He wasn't a damned babysitter! Wufei reconsidered both boys, and reckoned that the Winner boy was agreeable enough. The other one, though, he wasn't sure. Wufei swore he saw Duo Maxwell making faces at him and at the crowd ogling at them. "They're just outside."

As if on cue, the door opened and a braided whirlwind stormed into the room.

"HEEEERO!"

Heero blinked at the sound of his name being bellowed by an unfamiliar voice. The entire room fell silent when the half-Japanese boy raised his head to look at the person, and when his eyes locked with the most startling violet eyes that he had seen only once, Heero Yuy froze.

The violet-eyed boy waved and flashed his charming smile at the whole class (which made some girls swoon). Then his vivid gaze rested on the Heero and the grin slipped into a small smile.

He stepped forward.

"Hello, Heero, it's been weeks since we last saw each other." It was whispered in a soft voice. Narrowed violet eyes twinkled with an almost turbulent quality.

Silence ruled the room—even Relena stopped chattering, baffled at the tension that seemed to choke the atmosphere. Wufei stared at the two teens looking intently at one another. Heero's eyes were shuttered, while Maxwell's was gleaming with an unreadable expression. He looked at Trowa beside him and saw the other teen also staring keenly at the two boys. The Chinese boy frowned and decided to break the silence.

"Heero, you know each other?"

Heero nodded slowly, his eyes not averting from Duo's.

Duo grinned again. "We just met, Wuffers."

Wufei, curiosity dissolving, growled. "My name is WUFEI!"

Duo shrugged. "Whatever, Wuffie." While the Chinese boy scowled darkly at him, Duo turned to Heero, who was still looking grimly at him.

"By the way, my name's Duo Maxwell."

XxXxX XxXxX

_Duo Maxwell…_

Heero glanced to his right, where said braided boy lounged at his seat. When he saw Duo in front of him earlier, grinning widely, his heart had stopped for a moment, and he was unable to look away from those piercing violet eyes. The class had already started, and their Economics teacher introduced him and his blond friend.__

_Duo Maxwell._

_Shinigami. _

He looked at the teacher in front, explaining how the prices of goods and services were directly related to their supply. But Heero heard nothing.

At last, he had a name for the ethereal creature.

Duo Maxwell.

For the past weeks, he had been searching for information about the elusive cat burglar called Shinigami. He found that for nearly three years, the name Shinigami had been synonymous with daring, nerveless theft at its most dramatic.

If the newspapers were to believe, he had smoothly robbed the richest families of Europe, relieving them of fine baubles and artworks with a delicate precision and painstaking accuracy of a master thief. And in doing so he had bypassed some of the most expensive and complicated security systems ever designed with almost laughable ease. Also according to the data Heero retrieved from newspapers and websites, Shinigami never used weapons, had never injured anyone, and had never come close to being caught—all of which made him something of a legend.

And he had seen the God of Death did his magic on one shadowy night.

He had been unable to remove the vision of the svelte thief out of his mind for the past weeks. He would always remember how his bright violet eyes twinkled, how his long, chestnut hair moved with the wind, how his mouth quirked in a grin…

He was so restless that he even visited his mother. It had always calmed him whenever he saw her. Though it did little to his harassed mind.

Heero shot another covert glance at the violet-eyed teen.

"Now, please get your laptops out and construct a graph for with the following data…"

Heero reflexively took out his laptop from its soft leather bag and opened it. He hadn't had time to use it yesterday…

Heero blinked.

The screen was not showing its usual monochrome screen. Instead, it was showing a white _egg_ with big blue eyes, arms, legs and feet; climbing gingerly and sitting down on top of a wall.

Then the egg fell down and broke. Captions appeared on the screen.

_Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall_

_Humpty Dumpty had a great fall_

_All the king's horses and all the king's men_

_Couldn't put Humpty together again. _

_Ittai nani?_ Heero thought, frowning. He heard a soft snicker and looked to the right, where he saw Duo grinning at him.

The violet-eyed boy lifted his hand and pointed his thumb downwards, and it didn't take long for Heero to understand.

It was a warning.

**_Tbc_**…

**. . . **

_TADAIMA!_

_Sorry again if it took me two weeks to post this chapter. I hope it's long enough for you. Also, thanks to all who reviewed! To **Siyris** (Yep, this story is long. I just hope I can finish this. Hope this finds you in an earlier time!), **Sorceress Fantasia **(Sorry if I wasn't able to post this story in your website! I actually don't know how to do it…),** Bane's Desire **(Wow, one of my favorite authors reviewed my fic!),** Sara-chan** (Another favorite writer!), **Angel Reid **(I think I'll have my friend proof read the rest of the chapters. Busy schedule, you know. __), **Garasu** **no Tenshi **(Hi, friend! It's so nice to know you still had the time to review my story.), **Nephtyr**, **Danni **(Ack to Relena indeed!), **Camillian**, **Jibril**, **Hikaru **(OF COURSE Relena won't get pregnant! Over my dead body!)… Thank you! I'm just so damned glad many people like the story._

_Was there any mistake? This chapter was kinda rushed._

_Hannover __School__ is my ideal school. It's like CLAMP school. I once visited a university like that, and I almost got lost because it was so big._

_The G-boys are in their last year of high school. _

_Humpty Dumpty, according to an article I read, was a cannon during the Civil War. The cannon was set above a church tower in Colchester, England to ward off enemies, but eventually, the tower was hit and "Humpty" had a "great fall"._

_Give me another week or two for the next chapter. _

_Wah! I feel SOOOO tired!_

_Reviews are great motivators for a writer to update. Motivate me! (God knows I need it!)_

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**_Review! Review!_**

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